La Belle et la Bête
by D. Faber
Summary: Jeanne was a simple girl, living out in the countryside of France. When her father offers to get her a lily for her tenth birthday, she is overjoyed. But is her father prepared to pay the price for his daughter's fleeting joy?
1. Prologue

Once upon a time there lived a man and his two daughters, the eldest was named Catherine and the younger, by five years, was Jeanne. They lived in a small cottage in the countryside of France. They were a very happy family, but the man was a farmer, and he could not afford any lavish gifts that his daughters were so deserving of. Jeanne, in comparison to her sister, was not terribly beautiful. Her older sister looked very much like their deceased mother, beautiful brown ringlets framed her face and her eyes a stunning shade of grass green. Jeanne had murky blue eyes and straight dirty blonde hair that, no matter what she did, fell into her eyes. Catherine's poise, even though they were simple country girls, was very good. Her grace was that of an aristocrat, and when Jeanne tried to mimic her older sister, she had always tripped and fell. Catherine was also very kind to everyone in their small village, winning the heart of everyone. Jeanne was very shy and she didn't like socializing with the village people. She was frightened with the notion that if, perhaps, one of the boys were to see her and ask her to play, they would think her a boy because of her lanky figure and shaggy hair that was kept short because of a time when she was young and her hair got stuck on some tree sap. She's been scared of the stuff since, also a reason why she refuses to lean under a tree to rest in the summer.

One year on Jeanne's tenth birthday all she asked for was a single lily. Her father, since it was such a simple task, went on a journey to find this flower that his precious Jeanne yearned for. Jeanne's father went from shop to shop looking for a lily and did not see one. He traveled all over his own kingdom and the two kingdoms over, the journey took him a week. He traveled back to his own kingdom and remembered the road that led into the dark forest which was filled with sounds of crows cawing and squirrels rustling about, as well as odd noises the father couldn't recognize. He kept walking along the long unpaved road and he saw a small pond with lily pads and one with a small water lily on it. Her father bent down to pick it up when a hand placed itself on his shoulder. He turned around and saw a monstrous thing. It was the size of a man but it looked like a mix of a fox and a wolf, it stood on two legs and was nearly two feet taller than the father, who was dumbstruck by the beast.

It snarled at the father, its teeth sharp as knives as its paws grabbed the man by his collar and hoisted him up to his eye level "what are you doing stealing from my garden" his, very human, blue eyes searched the man's own eyes for answers and he brought the man close to his own face.

The father stuttered out a response, his body trembling with fear "I- I was getting a- a l-lily for my daughter sir." He said, fearing for his own life as he tried to stare into the monster's eyes and not his teeth.

The monster's very annoyed frown went into a sort of sneer "Your daughter?" It said, sneering at the man "You don't say" The sneer pulled itself across the bushy features of its face, the sneer neatly curled around the monster's nose, into a grotesque smile that would make any sensible man run in terror.

The father nodded profusely "Y-yes, m-my daughter, s-s-sir" He said, spitting out the word sir, as if this thing could ever be human, he thought it would also help his chances of survival, maybe. His eyes full of terror at the creature's expression.

The creature paused for a moment and dropped the man from its grasp "You may have the flower" It says offhandedly with a wave of its paw. "If" It paused, looking at the man on the ground.

The father was taken by surprise as he fell back onto the dirt. He scrambled to his feet and looked up at the beast, brushing himself off. He quickly grabbed the lily and hurried off to his cottage, not bothering to hear what the beast had to say.

The beast brushed this off and went back inside its large, extravagant castle. The farmer would be getting something on his doorstep later; the beast would make sure of it. It called on one of its squeamish servants to follow the man.

The father rushed home, the present in his hand. He came to the door and knocked at it. The two girls were sewing serenely in the den of the cottage. They jumped a bit and looked at each other, happy smiles and nods were exchanged as they both got up and went to the door, opening it and grinning wider at their father. Their father smiled at them and embraced them happily.

"Welcome home, papa" They said and let him inside. They pulled up his favorite chair and Jeanne went to get him some berries they picked earlier. He gladly sat and rested, setting the water lily on the arm of the chair. Jeanne came back and saw it, giving him his fruit and smiling more happily than she was before, taking the lily she leaned over and kissed her father on the cheek "Thank you so much, papa" She said lightly and went to put it in a vase.

In the morning, an ominous note appeared by the vase.

_Good morning, my dear farmer. I hope that you find the lily to your liking? I hope you do, because you left in such a hurry you forgot my warning. On your daughter's sixteenth birthday, I demand she come to my castle and work for me for the rest of her life._


	2. Chapter 1

The farmer came out from his room in the early morning, because he had crops to tend to, and he saw the note by the vase and read it in horror. He then shook his head at the note with a small smile. That was absurd, there was no way that beast could know how old his daughters were or even that he would bring them to the beast's garden again. He crumpled up the piece of paper and stuck it in his breast pocket and went out to the fields to care for his crops.

In the passing years, Jeanne's and Catherine's father had not told them of this note, thinking everything would blow over and there would be no one to answer to. But come the day after Jeanne's sixteenth birthday, there was a knock at the door. Jeanne, being a good daughter, answered it.

A lanky, squirming man stood at the door as his eyes were wide with fear. He had bruises on his face and neck, as well as many…were those claw marks? She couldn't tell. She looked at him, anyway, with a smile "Bonjour, sir…may I help you?"

The man jumped a bit at seeing her and he nodded quickly "U-Uh yes ma'am…could you please get your father for me?" The man quivered as he stood in front of her

Jeanne nodded slowly, "Yes, one moment" She says and leaves the man at the door to go inside to find her father out in the back cutting wood for the winter that was coming soon. "Papa" She said, walking up to him as he brought the hammer down into the wedge that was shoved into the piece of wood.

He heard her and stopped, setting the hammer down and turning to her, wiping his brow with his forearm. "Yes, Jeanne?" He asked, a pile of broken fire kindle next to him.

She looked at him "There is a man at the door who asked for you." She said and turned walking back into the house to go back to her sewing. She left the back door open for him to go through it.

Curious and a bit frightened, her father set the hammer and wedge down against the house and went to the door. His hair in a loose ribbon and falling into his eyes because of the work he was doing. His shirt and face sweat stained as well as his breeches. He looked at the man with tired eyes "May I help you, sir?" He eyed the lavish looking servant.

The servant stuttered "Y-Yes s-sir…my ma-master…w-wishes for you and y-your daughters to come to hi-his castle f-for his payment" He says, at last getting through what his master wanted him to pass along to the farmer, but he wasn't able to tell him the second part, as his long nose was smacked with the wood plank of the door.

The farmer shook his head as he shut the door and locked it. He started to sweat out of distress. He muttered to himself, trying to come up with a plan. He wasn't very fruitful in it. He thought about running to the next town over with his girls, but the servant would see them and report them to his master, who would come after them in a hurry and most likely kill the farmer for not keeping his word. This was a difficult decision for the farmer, indeed.

Eventually, he went back to the door and opened it back up, he saw the servant still standing there trembling. He closed the door behind him and looked at him frankly "Sir, I must tell you that I will not put my daughters up to that servitude to that monster…I apologize for what you have gone through living with that…_thing_…" He said looking the frightened servant.

The servant nodded a bit "I-I understand, sir" He said "B-But I must insist…i-it will help my circumstance b-but also…I…I thi-think with some female c-companionship…it would help m-my master" He said, keeping his back straight and his feet at first position as he answered the farmer in the eyes. "P-Please" He begged slightly.

The farmer thought for a moment, looking the servant over. "I…I will go with you…a-and I'll bring my daughters…on one condition" He said finally.

The servant's eyes shined a bit in disbelief "…r-really, sir?" He asked, hope filled his lungs as a small, faint smile grazed his lips. "A-Anything, sir" He says.

"My daughter will not suffer one blow from that creature" He deadpanned looking in his eyes; his own eyes sparkled with a sort of murderous intent if one hand was laid wrongly on his daughter. He wasn't sure which one the monster wanted, but he figured he would take them both and have the thing choose which one he wanted. But he was sure that Jeanne would fair pretty well…as she looked more like her father, rather than like Catherine, who everyone in the village was wanting to have stay in his home.

He went back inside to fetch the girls, who were told where they were going and why. Their father tried so very hard to apologize for what he did. Jeanne shrugged it off lightly, saying that the deed was done and there was no way to go about redoing it, just to pay for the consequences. Catherine went also, saying practically the same thing. The father, the servant, and the two daughters made their way to the castle. By nightfall they had reached their destination.

The two daughters stood as poised as they could, the father beside them as they all stood by the door. The servant scurried inside and told his master they were there.

The beast exited the castle's doors, and the only way that the two girls could really see it was by moonlight, but even then it was hard to tell. They could really only make out the outline of the thing and its pearly white teeth that were pulled into a grin. They both looked a bit faint.

The Beast smiled at the girls, although it looked more like a grimace to onlookers "Good evening, ladies" It said quaintly in a gruff voice "You have been told why you are here, correct?"

The two girls replied in unison "Yes, sir" They said with matching curtsies. They slowly came up and held their chins high, as if it didn't scare them one bit, although their knees were hobbling and knocking together.

The monster made its way around the ladies, looking at every aspect of both of them "Well, farmer, this is quite a tough decision, I must say…hmm…how about a question, then." It said, in thought. "What do you notice about a person when you meet them first? How they carry themselves or how they look?" It questioned, pointing at Catherine first.

She blinked and gulped a bit "By…their looks first…?" She said, almost a question.

The thing just scoffed in return and pointed at Jeanne "You. What do you notice first?"

Jeanne blinked and thought for a moment "By how they carry themselves, I guess" She said with a slight shrug.

"Interesting…" It said, its grin coming back across its features "Gabriel, take her inside and help her get comfortable" It said and turned to the other two of Jeanne's family "As for you two. If you dare lay one foot on my property again, I'll make sure to kill you both" It snarled and turned away to go inside, Gabriel pushing Jeanne inside the castle "Leave. At once" It said, following after Jeanne and Gabriel, leaving the two to stand out in the night air.


	3. Chapter 2

Jeanne was roughly shoved into her room, a plush bed in the middle adorned with very fine and expensive pillows and sheets and duvets. The wall was plastered with an intricate sort of wallpaper; all of the furnishings were of the latest French style. Even though it was a beast, it was against its fashion sense to keep things out of style. So her room was furnished with the latest cherry dressing table and chairs, as well as brushes and rouges and all sorts of make-up, as if the beast expected her to be there. She frowned, not even given a moment with her father and sister, Jeanne went to the window and saw them at the front, they stared agape at the closed door in front of them. Slowly, the two figures turned around and walked back the way they came. She watched them with tears dotting her eyes "Goodbye" She whispered.

The beast went back to its room and sat down with a loud huff and sat in its chair, it also went to the window and it watched the visitors down below with a sneer, waiting until they had gone back home. As far as the beast was concerned, they were trespassers now that the deal had been fulfilled.

* * *

Jeanne stayed in the castle for years, not leaving the inside except for a walk in the garden. She would walk along the rose bushes and all the other pretty flowers beds in the Beast's garden. In the winter, she would roll up small balls of snow and carve things into it with sticks. She tried her hardest to feel at home. Although it proved difficult, with said Beast following her into the garden and simply standing there and watching her.

Jeanne figured out in a while from observing, and from Gabriel's help, that the Beast stared at her so and didn't say much to her because said monster was new to having someone else in the castle besides itself and Gabriel. So it didn't have a lot of manners. Jeanne took this into account as she was exploring the castle for the hundredth…maybe thousandth time, Jeanne couldn't count very high. She was given free roam of the castle, allowed to go into any room in said castle as she pleased, except the Beast's room. She did grow curious and once while the Beast was having a nap in the garden (It preferred the coolness of the outside to the muggy inside) she snuck into the room and found something that she never thought she would see before. She saw portraits, but they were torn to shreds.

Jeanne went up to them slowly and curiously, reaching up as far as her arms could stretch and she put the torn shreds together. Her eyes widened at the face that stared back very kindly at her. It was a bust of a very handsome man with a heart shaped face and shoulder length golden hair. The most handsome thing about him were his eyes. They had a mischievous sparkle in them, and they were as blue as the ocean on a clear sunny day. His smile had a small smirk toying at the corner of his lips. She had a hard time turning away from the portrait, even though her arms were getting tired from holding up the pieces so high.

Jeanne snuck back out of the Beast's room and quickly down the hall that only its room was located. She didn't watch where she was going and bumped into something, toppling it over. She had closed her eyes upon impact and slowly opened them.

She had ran into the Beast and it had seen where she was coming from.

She quickly scrambled to her feet and walked away from the Beast. She didn't look back to see if it was following her or its expression, she just walked back to her own room and stayed there for about a day or so. She didn't bother about to eat, she was too frightened about the Beast seeing where she was.

It took her about a day and a half to venture out of her room and eat dinner with it. She sat there in silence eating slowly, even though her mind was telling her to shovel the food in because she was very hungry. She looked up at the Beast, who was eating its meal and looking quite irritated at the meat on its plate. Jeanne bit her lip slightly and looked at it still "I-I'm sorry, Master" She said, as she had grown accustomed to calling it this.

The Beast's eyes looked up at her and peered. It said nothing, just looking back at its dinner and finishing. It finally looked up at her with a look of disappointment clear in its eyes "What did you want to see in there" It asked, more of a statement than a question and it folded its arms.

Jeanne's mouth moved, although she could form no words. She stammered for quite a long time before words came out "I wanted to see what was so important that you would keep it from me" She said finally.

The Beast was speechless. Hide? It wasn't hiding anything. The Beast grumbled slightly and sat up more, leaning its arms on the table and leaned forward, snarling "Why did you go in there." It growled "Even when I told you not to"

Jeanne nodded persistently "I told you! I wanted to see what was in there! What was forbidden for me to see!" She said raising her voice.

The Beast rolled its eyes but continued "What did you see?" It asked even though it already knew the answer.

Jeanne sighed for a moment, her sudden burst of anger fleeting from her. She slumped back down in her seat. "I…I saw portraits…" She said "Of the most handsome man I have ever seen in my life…he looked so kind and gentle but, there was something in those beautiful blue eyes that I couldn't put my finger on…" She looked up at the Beast, who was looking at her. Something struck a chord in her somewhere.

The Beast had the same color eyes as she saw in the portraits.


	4. Chapter 3

Jeanne's eyes went wide and she gaped with her mouth wide open "You…you're…" She said, very intelligently as she leaned forward in her chair and gazed at him. She looked at him intently, staring at the eyes that looked so familiar.

It looked at her indignantly and a bit confused, sitting more rigid in the chair than it was previous. It looked a bit baffled by her sudden realization of something "I am what?" It asked looking at her "a beast? Because, I thought you would have figured that one out by now" It rolled its eyes.

She shook her head and closed her mouth "No" Jeanne said quickly "You…you're the man in the portraits!" She all but shouted.

It rose an eyebrow and said nothing as it pushed out its chair and stood. It was done with the conversation tonight. But it wanted to know why, of all possibilities; she could come up with that sort of conclusion.

"Because" She said, a soft smile replacing her look of urgency "You're eyes are as kind as his" She sat back down in her seat, not realizing she had stood up.

It rolled its eyes and blushed at the comment, although the blush couldn't be seen through all of its mangy fur. The Beast quickly left the grand dining hall and shut its door hard, as the force rumbled through the entire castle.

Gabriel nearly jumped out of his skin as he stood at attention, waiting to take the dinner plates from the two people at opposite ends of a long, ornate mahogany table that sat in front of a brick fire place that a fire danced gracefully inside, emitting happy crackles and pops. Gabriel was standing to the left of it and watched the goings on with a blank unreadable expression. He went over to Jeanne and offered to take her empty plate away from her and offered dessert.

She declined his offer and got up, feeling as if she would roll off if she did not stand up soon enough. Jeanne went to her own chamber and sat at the vanity, staring at herself. She knew that there was a good man behind the hurt eyes and monstrous features. She had to come up with a plan to bring out the good man in him.

Now, Jeanne was not very clever, but when she set her mind to something. She didn't give up.

* * *

She had made an effort to being very nice and gentle when talking to him. She also, in time, got him to teach her a few things, like to read and write and scales on the piano, although it was hard with its gigantic hands that she could fit both of her hands in them. She tried very hard not to giggle at its frustrations.

Soon, it was winter again; changing from the cool fall breeze to frigid temperatures. Inside the castle the air around the Beast and Jeanne had grown a little warmer, bit by bit. It had sent Gabriel out to a tailor after taking Jeanne's measurements and had a beautiful deep blue dress made for her to wear at dinners and when it gave her dance lessons, even though she tripped over her feet more than once. The Beast had grown more and more attached to her and less cold. The good heart that Jeanne was sure was hidden beneath all that hair, showed brightly, as the Beast smiled more and started acting more, well, human.

The next day, Gabriel came in and surprised her with a request from the Beast asking if she would go to the nearby town and pick up a few things for him. Jeanne looked at Gabriel curiously and confused "Why are you not doing it?" She asked.

"The errands that he assigned you are solely women's work. I have no place in getting those things if there is, in fact, a woman living in the castle" He said, matter-of-factly, glancing to the window as the afternoon sun shined through the rose colored curtains, giving the room a very eerie pink glow.

She smiled a bit; she could leave the castle grounds. She could escape. She took the small piece of paper, with attached francs, from his hands and grabbed her cloak that she wore in the winter, leaving the front door in a hurry. She had a basket in her hands but ran quickly down the cobble road, her cloak flying behind her. She was half way to town when she stopped cold in her tracks. She was roughly 19 now; her hair had grown out to a lovely length, which she braided back out of her way and she wore richly made clothes. No one would recognize her. The Beast would surely find out too, she started walking slowly after she realized this fact and looked at the paper, it read:

_Tea Set in Ivory and Blue design_

_Bone Needles _

_Black and royal purple thread_

_Black cloth _

_Purple cloth_

_Silk_

She blinked at the things, how was she supposed to find those in a village? Jeanne saw the village up ahead and asked the people in the village where she would find such things. They led her to many shops in the small town, but with Silk and the Tea Set, one man told her to go to the docks, which was a half-a-day's walk from there. She had a boy in town run a small note to the door, explaining briefly where she would be going and when she would be expected to be back.

When Gabriel gave this news to his master, The Beast was very confused. It had thought for sure she would leave and never come back. Inside of the monster, although it would never speak it out loud, it warmed its heart to know she would be coming back.

* * *

Jeanne walked happily down the road with a sign that read 'docks' , her expensive things in the basket at her hip. She sighed softly as the wind blew softly around her and the grass grew very long out in the countryside. She was about an hour away from the town and everything was so quiet and serene. The blue sky was clear except for a few puffy white things that hung as if suspended by an invisible string.

She heard pattering of footsteps behind her. Jeanne turned and faced nothing. She kept on the path. After a few minutes, she heard it again, closer. She turned again, nothing.

She walked for another ten minutes, an arm snaked itself around her and covered her mouth, something held closely to her side, sharp and pointy. Her eyes widened and she tried to scream.


	5. Chapter 4

"Shh, quiet now, dear" Came a slimy voice from behind Jeanne. He held her very close to himself and wrapped his arm tighter around her waist and the knife pressed harder in her side, not enough to tear her dress but enough to make her quiet. "Don't scream now, dear, I won't hurt you _if _you comply with what I want" The highway thief snarls.

Jeanne's eyebrows furrowed a bit and she nodded slowly, since her mouth was covered. She shifted her weight so the knife wasn't being buried into her side as she waited, and listened, to what the highway thief wanted.

The thief grinned but shifted her back onto the knife "Good girl" He says as the knife is put back into his back pocket. His hold keeping her close to him as his free hand ghosted over to her basket "What's in here, little bird?" His fingers delicately lifted up the small blanket that was covering the basket, his eyebrows rose with interest "My, my, don't you have a whole manner of expensive things in here, miss?" He pulled her close to his side and ran a finger down her face almost sweetly as he whispered in her ear "Whomever you belong too must think you're very valuable or they wouldn't send a stupid girl to get all these things."

Jeanne flinched at the voice in her ear and struggled to get free, she bit his hand and as he cradled his poor hand she made her escape. She dropped the basket and ran back to the town. She didn't look back but she could hear his curses behind her. Soon, he caught up to her though, grabbing her by her waist and forcing her to the ground.

"You little bitch" He sneers as he pins her hands above her head "I was going to take you for ransom unharmed, but I think that your master deserves a little warning before his bitches mess with me" He grins a bit as the knife is taken back out of his pocket, it gleaming in the afternoon sun. He slowly places the knife to her cheek and runs it down her face, creating a large bloody gash. He then began ripping at her dress and cutting parts of cloth off of her.

Jeanne screams and thrashes and tries to get away as he hurts her even more than she ever wanted to be. She bites and claws at him and finally manages to run away again. She ran even faster this time. She could barely see where she was going as she cried, she had been disgraced and she hurt everywhere. There will no doubt be bruises within the next day or so. She ran until she couldn't anymore. She got up to the door of the castle and collapsed with fatigue.

* * *

When Gabriel went to cut some roses for the dinner table that evening he was met with a sleeping Jeanne at his feet. He looked a bit unnerved seeing the state of her clothing from her back. He set the clippers to the side on a table near the castle's doors and he scooped Jeanne up and took her to her room, he didn't like the look of the gash on the side of her face, nor her ripped dress, or the dirt that caked her all over, as if she was rolling around in it. He laid her in her bed gently and went to get some hot water, a rag and some thread and a needle. He dabbed the rag in the water and washed her face, arms, neck and anything that her clothing was not covering; he washed out the scabbed mark and sewed it shut. Jeanne did not stir.

The Beast was making its way around the castle when it saw Gabriel hunched over something. It grew curious and came into the room without an announcement. When it saw Jeanne with her face all torn up like that, it growled, causing Gabriel to jump and turn around.

"I-I'm sorry, master, for disturbing your morning walk, sir, it will not happen again" He was finished patching her up.

The Monster shook its head "What happened to her." It was not a question, but a demand. "You did not do this to her, did you, Gabriel?" His voice was raising.

"M-me, sir? No, never, sir…I found her laying at the door asleep. She was much dirtier than this when I found her, sir…I…I don't know what happened to her. We're going to have to be patient and wait for her to wake up"

It shook its head again and strode over to the bed where she was sleeping and it took her by the shoulders and shook her slightly "Wake up!" It snarled.

Jeanne's eyes shot open and when she laid eyes on the beast in front of her she screamed such an ear piercing scream that it caused the beast and Gabriel alike to cover their ears, the beast staggering backward and letting go of her. When her voice stopped the shriek, she blinked a few times and saw the two cowering. She sat up, from being harshly dropped back onto the pillow, and gathered her knees to her chest, shaking as she buried her face into said knees and cried.

The Beast was taken aback by her crying and its heart softened a bit as it lowered its hands and walked back over to the bed and sat a comfortable distance away from her. "What happened, Jeanne?" It asked, genuine concern in its voice.

It took about a half of an hour but she did talk, she explained everything that happened, why she didn't have the basket and about the thief. While she talked, the beast grew more and more irritated. When she had finished, the beast excused itself and left calmly, although the castle's front doors did slam roughly ten seconds later.

That night, when the beast returned, he looked very content with himself as he sat himself down at the dinner table.


End file.
